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Pussy Riot member to be sent to new Russian prison

(AP) MOSCOW - Russian prison officials say a jailed member of the punk rock protest band Pussy Riot will be transferred to another penal colony after spending nine days on a hunger strike.

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, who along with two other band members was convicted of hooliganism for a provocative performance in Moscow’s main Orthodox cathedral in 2012, went on a hunger strike in September to protest conditions in the prison where she is serving her two-year sentence. She was hospitalized nine days later when her health deteriorated.

The Federal Penitentiary Service said in a statement Friday it will meet Tolokonnikova’s demand and move her to another prison "for her personal safety."

Last month Tolokonnikova said prison officials have made threats against her for speaking out against the poor working conditions.